Beary Guarded (Polar Bliss Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

gossip.”
    “Good,” he said. “I want everyone to know you’re my girl.”
    “Nate…” she whispered, glancing around the tiny shop.
    Luckily, they’d reached a lull, and the place was mostly empty. Ridge brushed past them and started restocking the coffee prep bar, and she appreciated the few moments of privacy the gesture allowed them.
    “Look, beautiful,” Nate said. “You may not be ready to admit it yet, but you are my girl. It doesn’t matter how long you resist, or how long it takes for you to trust me; nothing is going to change the fact that we’re meant to be together. You’re mine, but the good news is, I’m yours, too, and I want everyone to know it.”
    She wanted to believe him, but her ex was nice at first, too. He’d said and done all the right things until he was tired of playing his game, and then he’d nearly destroyed her.
    Your ex was evil…and he wasn’t your mate.
    No, he wasn’t, and yet she’d still allowed him to take so much. How could she be sure the same wouldn’t happen with Nate?
    Nate is not your ex…nor is he anything like him.
    In the face of the truth, she was still nervous, but she was also tired of being afraid.
    “Okay,” she whispered.
    “Okay?” he questioned. “Does that mean you’ll have dinner with me tonight?”
    “Yes, I’ll have dinner with you.”
    Behind Nate, Ridge pumped the air, and she giggled at his silent support.
    “Ridge is happy,” she said.
    “Damn right,” Ridge called over his shoulder.
    “Not as happy as I am,” Nate said. “I want to cook for you, but I still don’t have any furniture, so how about The Bear’s Den ? Do you like that place?”
    “Does she?” Ridge laughed.
    “Ridge!” she squealed.
    “I’m shutting up,” he said, pushing half-way through the employee’s door. “Right after I call Ryker.”
    Her brother disappeared into the back, and shook her head.
    “Sorry about that,” she said. “ The Bear’s Den is one of my favorite places.”
    “Great,” he said. “What time should I pick you up?”
    They decided on a time, and then Nate gave her the box of chocolates and went back to his office. She’d ended up sharing the treat with her brothers and Jane in order to quell their ooey-gooey teasing, but she didn’t care.
    She had a date with a wolf—her mate—and she was looking forward to it. 
     
    ***
     
    “No red meat?” Nate asked. “Ever?”
    The information boggled his mind, and yet, in his eyes, it only made Riley more special.
    “Well, not ever,” she laughed, “but most of the time. I’ll eat it if I don’t have a choice, but I’ve always preferred chicken. It drives my brothers crazy, especially on nights when it’s my turn to cook. They have to put up with my horrible cooking, and my chicken.”
    “It’s a good thing I know how to cook a bird,” he laughed. 
    “Please don’t go out of your way for me,” she said, all humor gone. “I can eat anything.”
    She didn’t understand that from now on, everything he did was for her, but hopefully, one day she would.
    “I’m not going out of my way,” he said.
    “Yes, you are,” she sighed. “I’m sure you would rather have steak or burgers, and so would your friends. Please don’t worry about me.”
    He’d convinced her to come the office barbecue he was throwing a week from Saturday—he’d postponed planning for a couple weeks while trying to win her over—and now they were discussing the menu. He couldn’t wait to try the peach-apple cobbler she planned to bring for dessert. 
    “It’s too late for that, beautiful,” he laughed.
    She frowned, took a sip of her soda, and then set the drink back on the table to the left of the original condensation ring. With her finger, she traced the ring, and then pulled several drops out to create something resembling a funky, abstract sun. The distance between them seemed to grow by the second, and as much as he wanted to see her happy, he wouldn’t let her